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Book Description

Seventeen-year-old Lilith Lane has a hunk of a boyfriend, a wicked tongue, and a talent for solving the mysteries that pop up in her small home town of Mirabalis. But when her little sister goes missing in the middle of the night, both Lilith’s detective skills and her recall of sophomore year physics are put to the ultimate test.

To save her sister, Lilith must race against the clock with the help of Dr. Hammer, a mad scientist who pushes Lilith off the edge – literally – of his reality-bending skyscraper. Lilith’s world is turned upside down by her sister’s disappearance, and a skyscraper that is also a portal to a parallel universe suddenly doesn’t seem that surreal. With Dr. Hammer’s help, Lilith must put her girl detective skills to the test and try to save her sister.

A dashing snail expert, a scheming beauty queen, and the heir to a great advertising fortune are just a few of the unforgettable characters who round out the cast in this rollicking tale of love, loyalty, and multiple Earths.

Episode ListThis book was initially released in episodes as a Kindle Serial. All episodes are now available for immediate download as a complete book.Learn more about Kindle Serials

Seventeen-year-old Lilith Lane has a hunk of a boyfriend, a wicked tongue, and a talent for solving the mysteries that pop up in her small home town of Mirabalis. But when her little sister goes missing in the middle of the night, both Lilith’s detective skills and her recall of sophomore year physics are put to the ultimate test.

To save her sister, Lilith must race against the clock with the help of Dr. Hammer, a mad scientist who pushes Lilith off the edge – literally – of his reality-bending skyscraper. Lilith’s world is turned upside down by her sister’s disappearance, and a skyscraper that is also a portal to a parallel universe suddenly doesn’t seem that surreal. With Dr. Hammer’s help, Lilith must put her girl detective skills to the test and try to save her sister.

A dashing snail expert, a scheming beauty queen, and the heir to a great advertising fortune are just a few of the unforgettable characters who round out the cast in this rollicking tale of love, loyalty, and multiple Earths.

Episode ListThis book was initially released in episodes as a Kindle Serial. All episodes are now available for immediate download as a complete book.Learn more about Kindle Serials

Editorial Reviews

Review

"One of my favorite reads from last year, Lilith was originally an Amazon serial, but is now available in both ebook and hard copy forms. I picked up the free first issue, and loved it so much I went out an immediately bought the serial. I loved each installment, and I recommend it to people who are looking for something new/a new author to read." - A Random Flood of Words...

About the Author

E. V. Anderson grew up in Southern New Jersey, where he spent his youth dreaming of playing third base for the Philadelphia Phillies. When that didn’t work out, he turned to writing. He has worked as a dishwasher, pizza-maker, package sorter, comic book store clerk, and hotel quality control manager. He’s written every day for the past fifteen years, and has won awards in several screenwriting contests including second place in the Scripted/Ed Burns talent search. E.V. currently resides in San Francisco with his diabolical cat, Emma, and his commitment issues.

I had read and liked the first episode of another Plympton-publisher Kindle Serial, Hacker Mom. After I posted a review of it, I got an email from Plympton co-founder Jennifer 8. Lee, thanking me and suggesting I check out another of their titles. As a 50s male, a paranormal story about a teenage girl is not my usual "cup of tea", though I wonder if that's true since I adored James Schmitz' stories about psi-wielding Telzey Amberdon, but since Jennifer asked so nicely I figured I'd give it a "fair go".

The first thing I was struck by was how authentic the "voice" of Lilith felt. It really read as I imagined a 17-year-old girl might write, rather than what an adult pretending to be a 17-year-old might. The story so far introduces the situation well and has its own share of intrigue and adventure, but I am looking forward to seeing what's next.

I am happy to see Plympton (and Amazon) resurrecting the notion of the serial for e-books. I regularly read serials in science fiction magazines, but the form has generally disappeared from mainstream publishing. I liked the concept so much that I became a backer of Plympton's project on Kickstarter and will definitely check out more in this series.

September 23, 2012

I've now read Episode 2 and realized that this is not a "paranormal" story but rather straight-on science fiction. Dr. Hammer, whom Lilith calls her "personal mad scientist", created a mechanism that allows jumping (literally) between two worlds. Are there more than two? At this point in the story, that is not known. Lilith finds that her life in the "other Earth" has diverged quite a lot from what she knows, and she now needs to solve a mystery for both worlds! I'm very much enjoying this and am glad that it isn't too long between episodes!

I downloaded the Kindle app on the iphone so I could do some reading on downtime at work without carrying around books. The app was free. This serial sounded interesting, and cost 2 bucks. I spend more than that on a cup of coffee every day, so this was a gamble on which I was willing to place my bet.

Anderson must have been reading those comics in his time as a comic book store clerk. The pacing. The visual sense I get reading this story. That cliffhanger, leaving you hanging! Waiting for the next "issue'! That's a Brian-K.-Vaughan-level cliffhanger!

If you like to read, if you like stories about alternate realities, if you like characters who are genuinely enjoyable to read, gamble your 2 dollars. The only thing you'll be upset by is that you got done reading it so quickly and now have to wait for the next chapter.

So far so good...smooth and interesting reading...while waiting for the next installment may seem like torture, it's actually is kind of fun...I'm one of those people who usually whips through a really good book and then is upset when it's over...so maybe this will teach me some moderation!

Lilith Lane isn't your typical girl detective, she speaks and thinks in an honest and angsty manner that prevents the story from being pigeonholed as your typical young adult fare; think Nancy Drew if she was a character on an episode of DEGRASSI written by Joss Whedon. There's a lot to like here for those entrenched in modern popular culture, everything from DOCTOR WHO to BEING JOHN MALKOVICH sprung to my mind, and the cliffhanger is a legitimate shocker. Can't wait for the next installment!

I wanted to like this book. I read the description, and really liked the idea of the book, but ultimately, I found that I liked the idea much more than I liked the story itself.

The story opens well; Lilith is standing atop a building, and contemplating suicide. What got here here? Why does she feel that there are no other options? The author drew me in pretty quickly, making me feel the depression that Lilith must have felt to be standing there. I was hooked, or so I thought.

The real issue for me is that once hooked, it felt like the author had no idea how to reel me in. The sister is dead. The sister is alive. the sister is dead again. I felt like I was a fish swimming in circles, getting no closer to the boat, but not really able to get away, either. Also, while I identified with Lilith, I really couldn't find any other characters that I could see as real, that I could care about, hate, or feel anything else about except for apathy.

Ultimately, about half way through I got bored, and like so many movies or other books, I wanted to know what happens, but not really enough to slog through the morass in front of me to get there. I admit I read the ending, hoping to find something there compelling enough to make me want to go back and finish the rest of the book. Instead, I found an ending I found as unsatisfying as the rest of the story, and I finally threw in the towel.

On the positive side, the author can definitely write, but I am not sure if he can tell a story well enough to make me want to read it. However, for getting me interested enough to read half the book, and interested enough to want to know how it ended, I have to give it three stars. Unfortunately, three stars isn't enough to make me want to anything else the author may produce.

More About the Author

E.V. Anderson is the author of The Many Lives of Lilith Lane, which first appeared in serial form as one of Amazon's original Kindle Serials. He spent more than thirty years in New Jersey, before arriving in San Francisco with no job, no place to live, three suitcases and an insatiable hunger to write. He still lives in San Francisco, joined by his diabolical cat, Emma, and his tolerant and talented girlfriend, Julia.

Forums

Thanks to EVERYONE who's given my little story a try. I am appreciative of all the great readers out there who've sent kind words my way. I'm glad so many of you enjoyed "Lilith Lane." Any questions or comments here will be answered or addressed in speedy fashion, so please, feel free... Read More

Four episodes down, only one to go. It's been a fun ride so far. I'm here if you've got any questions, comments, concerns. In addition to my serial story, THE MANY LIVES OF LILITH LANE, I also know quite a bit about movies, sports, comic books, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", and old-school... Read More

Very exciting! Usually books don't get that good until the end! I found myself deep into the story then it was over and i had to wait. But I am so glad because it was 11:30pm and i had to be at work the next day at 7:30am. When i got here though i had an email saying me next episode was delivered... Read More

Amazing. I like the characters and the way the author describe everything. The theme is cool. I work very hard during the day, and I found this first episode relaxing, very interest the way that the author mix science fiction with reality. I just found this first episode tooooo short. 30 pages.... Read More

Hi! E.V. Anderson here. 3 episodes down, 2 to go! I'll be happy to answer any questions or respond to comments regarding THE MANY LIVES OF LILITH LANE. This serial format is quite a new experience for me, but it's a ton of fun so far. I was inspired not only by the literary serials of the past,... Read More